Blog: If You Knew You Could Not Fail...

What one bold or noble thing would you do as a carwash owner/operator?

This is a very engaging and powerful question, isn’t it?

At a minimum, it gives you a chance to “think outside the box.”

I have learned that owners and high achievers sometimes need to be given permission to consider another path or a new direction.

This is because fear of failure creates such a negative mindset in many people.

Me included.

One of my early mentors, Brian Tracy, described an unhealthy fear of failure as a totally destructive “robber emotion.” This mindset, he says, robs us of the joy and achievement we would normally feel and experience in our common day-to-day activities.

“The fear of failure,” Tracy states emphatically, “is the greatest single obstacle to success in adult life.”

But I caution you not to make this common assumption or mistake.

Neither failure, not its closest cousin, fear of failure, should be avoided.

Indeed, a painful and even cruel part of every learning curve is this; failure is as much a part of business and personal success as any other factor.

One of the greatest inventors and businessmen in US history, Henry Ford, tells us his own experience: “failure is just another opportunity to more intelligently begin again.”

So the question of the day remains: what one great or noble thing would you do this day, as a business owner, if you knew you could not fail?

For better results and insightful, useful feedback, ask trusted members of your team, and also your closest suppliers, the same question.

Astute leaders know, to get to a higher level of performance, you may have to ask different questions, and then be mentally prepared to implement new and sometimes very challenging ideas and plans.

Mike Perry is a columnist for Professional Carwashing & Detailing magazine.